Your rights when buying refurbished in Chile

In Chile, Ley 19.496 protects consumers. Article 21 gives six months from receipt to exercise the options in articles 19 and 20 when they apply. Article 14 may exclude those options for goods disclosed before purchase as used or refaccionado, without removing a warranty offered by the shop. Whether that applies to a product labelled refurbished depends on how it was disclosed and sold. Ask for the shop warranty in writing. The shop's own stated warranty is shown on every offer in Reacondi. Online purchases may qualify for a 10-day withdrawal right, subject to exceptions. You can complain to SERNAC.

The legal quotes below are in Spanish, as they appear in the law, with an English reading after each one.

Notice that the product is used (article 14)

Article 14 says that when goods are sold "usados o refaccionados" (used or refurbished/repaired), or with used parts, "se deberán informar de manera expresa las circunstancias antes mencionadas al consumidor, antes de que éste decida la operación de compra" (the circumstances must be stated expressly to the consumer before they decide to buy). It is enough for the notice to appear on the product, its packaging or the shop's signs, with phrases such as "segunda selección" (second selection), "hecho con materiales usados" (made with used materials) or similar.

The law does not define "reacondicionado". The word does not appear in the text. A shop that sells a refurbished device without saying it is used or repaired breaks the duty to inform. SERNAC said so in 2018 for refurbished, renewed and "seminuevo" devices: they must report that condition in good time. That article predates the reform of the legal warranty.

Six-month legal warranty (articles 20 and 21)

Article 21 sets the period. The rights in articles 19 and 20 must be exercised with the seller "dentro de los seis meses siguientes a la fecha en que se haya recibido el producto" (within six months of the date the product was received), as long as it was not damaged through your own fault. It was three months until Ley 21.398, and the current text says six.

Within that period, article 20 gives you the non-waivable right to choose, at your discretion, between free repair, replacement or a refund of what you paid, without prejudice to compensation for damages. One of the grounds is that the product, through defects in manufacture, materials, parts or components, "no sea enteramente apto para el uso o consumo al que esté destinado o al que el proveedor hubiese señalado en su publicidad" (is not fully fit for the use it is meant for or that the seller stated in its advertising).

Two more rules in article 21 help with any shop. If the shop gave its own, longer warranty, the longer period prevails. And you choose freely between using that warranty or your rights under articles 19 and 20. While you are exercising either one, the periods are suspended.

The exemption for used goods, and what to do about it

Article 14 adds that informing properly "eximirá al proveedor de las obligaciones derivadas del derecho de opción que se establece en los artículos 19 y 20, sin perjuicio de aquellas que hubiera contraído el proveedor en virtud de la garantía otorgada al producto" (exempts the seller from the obligations of the right of choice in articles 19 and 20, without prejudice to those it took on through the warranty it gave the product).

Whether a refurbished device falls under "usados o refaccionados" is an interpretation, because the law does not use the word "reacondicionado". The question is open, and if a lot of money is at stake, ask a Chilean lawyer. In practice, treat the six legal months as possible backup and rely on the warranty the shop states. Before paying, ask in writing:

Whether the device is sold as used, refurbished or "seminuevo", and what that word means to the shop.
Whether, besides its own warranty, the shop recognises the six-month legal warranty for that product.
How many months its warranty lasts, from what date it runs and what it covers.

Keep the answers. Also, article 33 says the words "garantizado" and "garantía" may only be used when the seller states what the warranty consists of and how to make it effective, so you can ask the shop to spell it out.

In 2018, SERNAC described voluntary warranties of different lengths: some companies offered the new-product standard, others gave 3 to 6 months to repair faults, and one group gave no benefit at all. For a current purchase, check article 14, the published warranty and the rights that apply.

Ten days to change your mind (article 3 bis b)

For purchases by electronic means and other distance communication, article 3 bis letter b) lets you "poner término unilateralmente al contrato, sin expresión de causa, en el plazo de 10 días contados desde la recepción del producto" (end the contract unilaterally, without giving a reason, within 10 days counted from receipt of the product). That article does not say whether the days are calendar or business days, so count from the day you receive it and do not wait for the last one.

If the shop did not send the written confirmation of the contract that article 12 A requires, the period rises to 90 days: "De no ser así, el plazo se extenderá a noventa días."
The shop must refund what you paid "sin retención de gastos" (without withholding costs) and within 45 days of you notifying the withdrawal.
You must return the original packaging elements in good condition, such as labels, warranty certificates, manuals and boxes.
You cannot withdraw if the product was damaged through your own fault.
Before payment, the shop must tell you if it excludes this right, and it must use the words "derecho a retracto".

The law leaves out goods that "por su naturaleza, no puedan ser devueltos" (by their nature cannot be returned). The regulation (Decreto 52) gives an example that matters if you buy a notebook: a computer "utilizado más allá de su inspección" (used beyond inspection). Test it to confirm it works, and do not start using it as your own machine until you decide. The decree also says the withdrawal right cannot be used to limit your legal warranty.

What the shops offer

This is what each site stated on 30 September 2026.

Reuse Chile. 13 months of warranty on refurbished and open box items, and a 30-day trial.
BackOnline. Apple Grado A and Open Box with 12 months, Grado B with 6 months.
Digitek. 6 months on phones and 3 months on other products.
DLphone. 12 months on phones and 30 days to try it. For notebooks, tablets and watches we did not find the term.
Elephone. Open Box 6 months, Seminuevo 6 months, Reacondicionado 4 months, and Outlet with no voluntary shop warranty.
AppleShop Chile. 6 months on seminuevo and refurbished.
SmartDeal. 1 year on everything, new, open box and factory refurbished.
Todo Geek. 3 months on seminuevo, refurbished and open box.
Entel, seminuevo devices. 12 months of voluntary warranty.
Movistar, seminuevo devices. 3 months.
Assurant Ecophone, official store on Mercado Libre. 12 months per its terms.
MSF Sale. Six months in its warranty policy and, according to another part of the site, 30 days for seminuevo iPhones.
Mercado Libre Chile. Requires every listing in the refurbished condition to declare a warranty. We could not confirm the minimum, and each seller sets its own.

Terms vary by shop and category, and Reacondi shows each shop's own wording on every offer. Confirm the term for your listing directly with the seller. MSF Sale publishes two terms for seminuevo iPhones, so confirm which applies before buying. Elephone states that its Outlet items have no voluntary shop warranty, and Reacondi does not show them; ask which legal rights apply.

If something fails, SERNAC

Complain to the shop first and keep its reply. If it does not answer, or says no, file a complaint with SERNAC. You can do it online with ClaveÚnica or a SERNAC password, at an office, or by calling 800 700 100. SERNAC reports the outcome of its handling within a maximum of 18 business days.

Before buying, SERNAC also has a search tool on company behaviour, where you pick a market, a company and a year. It only covers the companies that concentrate most complaints, so a small shop may not appear.

What to ask the shop in writing

That the device is sold as used or refurbished, and its grade with the shop's definition.
How long the warranty lasts, from what date it runs and what it covers.
Legal name and RUT of the seller.
Battery health percentage.
IMEI and model number of the device they will ship.
Withdrawal period and conditions, and who pays the return shipping.

Sources

Each shop's warranty comes from its own warranty page, read on 30 September 2026, and may change. The law is quoted from the consolidated text on BCN LeyChile; none of this replaces advice from a lawyer.